Fireworks
by Chiriru
Summary: Fourth of July fun. Chlark. Sorta Fluffy. Throw away all spoilers for Red. ^.~


AN: Okay. I wrote this a few days after the fourth of July and then sent it into to my Beta Mama. And she was workign on other stuff and that was all good. But then later I lost my copy and she lost her copy but then I found my copy and added and ending and she beta'ed and I ended up changing the ending. And, in the meanwhile, Red spoilers came out making one part of this not true but it could still fit for the non-spoiled or for the AU fans or anyone who just wants to suspend belief. *takes a gasp of air before continuing* Also this was supposed to be the last bit of a Fourth of July series but it seems I can't find my note book with all the other pieces so that's kind of shot out of the window. I'd like to add this is my first kissy scene written ever so if it's hellabad... uhm, just figure that the kissy scenes in future fic have to be better than this! Phew. On to the story! Hee.  
  
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"Fireworks"  
  
by Chiri  
  
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Chloe smoothed down the multi-hued quilt. It was cut with large blocks of bright color and an occasional "Sun Bonnet Sue" stitched on one of the large patches. It had been a gift from her grandmother on her fifth birthday. It was well-loved, soft, and warm. It had been the annual firework 'blankie' for years.  
  
And now she sat on it alone. Her father had begged her to come home for her four-day weekend. She had hopped on a late train and come into Smallville late yesterday afternoon. She hadn't wanted to come back; she had issues she was more than willing to let lie for right now. But, she had missed her father so she paid for the ticket and came anyway. Yet, she was still on this old quilt all by herself.  
  
Whatever had possessed her daddy and Sharlyne, her stepmother, to seemingly ignore her after the whole trip with a simple "You'll be happier with your friends!" line seemed odd. Overprotective Dad going to encouraging her to mingle? Not normal.  
  
A few feet behind her was a crowded brown and black striped blanket that had been with the Ross family for years. Pete, Lana, and Lex were crowded on the king-sized spread, each one sprawled out comfortably, but cramped. Lex looked slightly out of place with his tailored clothing and looked slightly unnerved that he was sitting on the ground rather than the folded up lawn chair a few meters back or in one of his many cars. But, she supposed, Lana probably dragged him into it.  
  
And Clark was nowhere in sight. But... she didn't want to sit with him anyway.  
  
She sat down, her khaki-camo shorts riding up enough for her to pull at them a bit. Brushing some imaginary lint off of her navy T-shirt, she sat back on her elbows looking up. Surely the show would start soon.  
  
However, someone behind her cleared his throat causing her head to turn . Clark Kent stood there apologetic, anxious, and (of course) completely melt- worthy.  
  
His hair was ruffled, slightly, but it must have been through his own nervous hand running through the ebony strands, because there was only a little wind in the hot, humid, Kansas night. His muscular arms weren't hidden by normal folds of flannel, but bare because of his white tank-top. He was wearing his typical loose-fitting jeans and bit his lip before flashing a Kent charm grin at her, melting the rest of Chloe Sullivan to the ground.  
  
"Can I sit with you? My parents kind of kicked me out," he said, a bit sheepishly, running his hand through his hair again.  
  
Truth be told, they didn't kick him out but made a kind of nodding motion at Chloe all alone on her quilt, and it was obvious what they were thinking. Not that he was thinking anything differently. He had spotted her, wearing her typical fare, and wondered how he had lived with her away for so long.  
  
Her navy baby-tee had the typical Chloe-ness to it. One sleeve was red, the other, white -- both of them jagged-- and it had a screened "Patriotic" turtle on it. In one "hand" it had a flag, the other had a gun. And at the bottom it had "Yeah, you better Bless the USA, Sucka" in a scrawly script -- it was actually against her gun policy but, hey, it looked cute. Her shorts, khaki with camouflage trip and pockets, were probably sewn by herself. She had tied her hair up in two peppy pigtails but probably only due to the heat.  
  
It was amazing how hard it could be to talk to your best friend when you knew that she had liked you, and you still liked her, and that everything wasn't all gravy between the both of you.  
  
"Uhm... sure?" she stammered out, scooting over. She licked her lips and his mind jumped forward about three steps, bringing up tastes of raspberry lip gloss, a sweet honey mouth, and a meteor-influenced kiss as well as his nearness again on a stormy May night. He gulped.  
  
A few feet back, Pete looked at Lex.  
  
"Step one is complete, I think it's safe to say."  
  
Lana leaned up on her elbow. "What are you talking about?"  
  
Lex raised an eyebrow ask Pete if he should share or not. Pete cleared his throat.  
  
"I think it's obvious that Clark needs Chloe and that Chloe is happiest with Clark..."  
  
"So you guys are re-setting them up! That's so SWEET!" she said, giving Pete a slight squeeze and Lex a peck on the cheek. "Even withholding how happy I am that you two are FINALLY talking."  
  
Pete turned a few shades darker while Lex blinked like a fish. Lana giggled and weaved her other arm through Lex's.  
  
On the quilt, there were quiet, polite murmurings of a conversation on the verge of happening but covered with wasted words of how the summer was, the Planet, or the local business. Even the weather. Right when the pause was turning from thoughtfully pleasant to uncomfortable, a loud burst filled the air. Nearing faces and two sets of glittering, gazing eyes (one set baby blue, another a grapey green) turned to the night sky.  
  
A velvety darkness littered with bright points that Clark could pick out by name was a backdrop for shimmering points much closer to them. A CD of songs was pumped out from speakers in the Fortress, as Bill Ross set off his annual firework pyro-technique extraordinaire.  
  
Flashes of red, blue, gold, and purple dazzled locals, while silver streams of glittering powder poured on the back drop of sky. White lights crawled upon the tapestry that was the July night sky, as shells exposed shapes of stars and smileys in the air.  
  
"Wow.... Pete's dad has out done himself this year," Chloe said, gasping, as colors flashed in her eyes.  
  
"Yeah," Clark said, not looking up, but over.  
  
After a moment, she turned to see his intent stare, unblinking and unmoving.  
  
"Lex, Lex! They are doing it again!" Pete hissed, his hand moving from Lana's back to poke Lex's forearm. Lex turned to him, as did Lana's head from his shoulder. Her look was obvious, Pete had better put that hand back where it was. Lex blew a strand of her hair out his face before answering.  
  
"Yeah, but whatever the Queen of Snark just said wrecked it. They are so.. so..." Lex sighed.  
  
"Teenage and dramatic?" Lana offered, watching two heads turn back up to the sky while Chloe shied further away from the farmboy.  
  
"I was going for 'idiotic,' but perhaps that will work better," he whispered, slightly breathing in her ear. Lana shivered a bit, and Pete looked over at him.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked.  
  
Lex shrugged, nonchalant.  
  
"Watching fireworks?"  
  
Pete rolled his eyes, as Lana pulled him in for another hug.  
  
Chloe pulled at her clothes; the new tension was stifling. She could see it all his eyes... those pure, readable eyes. Want. Need. Sadness. It made her uncomfortable. It made part of her leap up, waving a flag in her face.  
  
It was reminding her why her overly persistent co-worker was never going to get that date, why she had kept waiting for him at Homecoming, why she had said he could sit with her. Reminding her of things she didn't want reminded of.  
  
"Chloe-y?" he asked, voice quivering, drawing her name out in the process. He turned on his left side, to look at her. She bit her lip, looking up at the flower-like red sparkles in the sky. "Chlo." he said, more firmly. She turn, propping her head up on her right arm to look at him, emotional... almost fear in her azure orbs.  
  
"Chloe, I'm... I'm sorry, okay? I knew what you feared, and... I still messed up. I didn't mean to scare you by leaving you all alone. I didn't go after Lana because I love her or even like her, but because she was...is my friend. I didn't like leaving the only girl I care about behind, but... There are things I have to do and I can't tell you why right now. But you've got to believe me. I never wanted to hurt you, and I didn't want to leave you all alone."  
  
The humid air seemed to be cooling, slightly. She started talking before she had processed it all.  
  
"I just had TOLD you already and... you went after her, just like I had thought and I don't want to be second... you... you like me? I mean... really, truly... in that past 'talking' stage thing?"  
  
Clark grinned at her, lifting one of his tan fingers, placing them under her chin.  
  
"Yes. I like-like you. I more than like-like you. And this 'talking' thing has gone on for years. We should be able to move past it, right?"  
  
Chloe's smile covered her face, but he only saw it for a moment before her left hand moved to slightly cup his cheek and she kissed him. It was slow, sweet, and tender. Barely a brush of lips that he took no time to deepen. She wore that same lip gloss; she had that same taste. And it felt like he had been way to long away from her yet again.  
  
Lana looked over, raising an eyebrow. A merged silhouette of her two friends was painted against a giant silver pyro technique that reminded her of spilling glitter.  
  
"I think you guys missed it."  
  
Pete and Lex glanced over. Then at one another. Then back as Clark pulled Chloe off her elbow simultaneously down toward him and onto the blanket.  
  
"Go Clark!" they chimed in a teasing tone.  
  
Somehow, to the couple, the world faded away. People around them turned to nothing, and inaudible fireworks were mere flashes. Each liplock was deeper, more powerful, setting a rhythm and a battle of who was better where each gave as good as they got. Her right hand dove into his raven hair that had already been teased so much already. Her left hand grasped for a hold on his right bicep, moving up and down his arm without any real reason.  
  
He had his right arm keeping her close to him, giving almost no room between them. He kept it there, long after their legs intertwined. Clark's other hand had first freed her hair from the rubber bands, fluffing it out, but had now crept up her shirt, absently rubbing the skin just below her bra line.  
  
Deeply pleasured kisses were placed down his chin line, along her neck, on each others lips, with slight suction. They were so concentrated on the here and now, that everything was right between them for once that they didn't see the show end. They didn't hear the crack that wasn't a firework, but that of a thundercloud. Their tightly clenched eyes didn't see people leave, calmly at first, or more frightened later.  
  
In fact, they didn't even realize they were all alone until the summer storm had started to drench the field they lay in.  
  
Chloe tensed up first, feeling a cold drip down her back. Another on her face, her leg, and her arm. And another. And another. She sat up abruptly, looking around, as Clark had to stop kissing her neck.  
  
"Where is everyone?" she asked, looking back at him. Her hair was every which way, her lips red (as were his own) and swollen, her eyes, worried. A flash, lightning, lit up the sky, setting her off against the now stormy dark.  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"They probably already left?" he asked, as he stood, blushing. How long had that gone on, was what he wondered first. And why did it have to rain, he wondered second. He bent down to pick up the old quilt, as thunder that sounded as if it was ripping the sky open rumbled around them. "I'd bet they're in the kitchen. C'mon."  
  
She nodded, crimson red but with a smile that wasn't fading. Rain poured down on them, but unlike at the dance, it wasn't important. He lifted the quilt above and around them, a small protection from the cool raindrops. She grasped his large tan hand in her own small one, smiled up at him.  
  
"I love you," she said, a quiet noise that sounded like a barely heard whisper. She rested her head with her dampening hair on his bare shoulder.  
  
Clark moved his hand from hers to around her back. Letting the quilt drop to the sopping ground, he pulled her close again. Not caring about rain, or teasing, or anything more than a simple relationship between a boy and a girl, he stole another kiss from her.  
  
"Funny, I was thinking the same thing." He grinned at her, grinning up at him. The rain soaked his clothes and hair, as it did to her. The silence was relaxing now.  
  
"Chlo, would you...." This was more difficult. "Would you be my girlfriend?" he finally stammered out, his forehead touching hers.  
  
Another smile broke out on her face before she slightly slapped his arm.  
  
"Of course, you big dummy! Geesh. Yeah, I just made out with you because I wasn't interested." she said bending to pick up the water-logged bedspread. She didn't get very far, however, because of two familiar arms picking her up and twirling her around in the air.  
  
She lifted her arms and head to the storm, briefly glad that the lightning had seem to stop, letting out a happy squeal. She could hear his laughter as he brought her down again to him.  
  
She closed her eyes, awaiting yet another smooch. A whisper, however, floated into her ear.  
  
"We need to get inside. Before you start looking any more like a drowned rat."  
  
She was set down as her eyes flew open, and her new boyfriend took off with her quilt. She tore after him.  
  
"Clark Jerome Kent! You'd better get back here RIGHT now!!"  
  
Clark laughingly ran into his house, soaked to the bone, barely stopping from sliding into a chair. Glancing around the room of amused parents and friends, he gulped and bit his lip. Moments later Chloe tore in as well, just as drippingly wet, and bumping into him.  
  
Lex hid his smirk behind his coffee cup, Lana turned her head so her laughter wouldn't be seen. Gabe Sullivan and Martha Kent gave them both "You SO did not do that," looks, while Jonathan raised an eyebrow. Other people shared looks, as Chloe moved closer to her equally as wet significant other and he put his arm over her shoulders.  
  
As Pete walked in from the cellar, he looked around the room, focusing on his two best friends, and spoke for all underneath his breath.  
  
"It worked. Good. It's about ****in' time."  
  
"PETE!" his mother exclaimed at his shrug, as the couple turned multiple tomato hues.  
  
"What, Mom? I mean LOOK at them. It's about time!"  
  
The room snickered at the two embarrassed teenagers as Martha, ever motherly, tried to get the dripping companions out of her kitchen. As Clark went to his room, she led the teenage girl to the guest room.  
  
"I have some older clothes that you can use, Chloe. Not exactly your style, but-"  
  
"They'll be fine, Mrs. Kent. Vintage Retro, even," she said, picking up a pair of cutoff shorts and a soft cotton button up shirt in a light lemonade pink.  
  
"You know, you can call me Martha now, instead of 'Mrs. Kent', Chloe." the mother said, eyes twinkling at the blonde's growing smile.  
  
"Okay, okay. Thank you, Martha. I'll just get changed now then," she said, backing into the bathroom.  
  
Martha left, smirking to herself.  
  
Clark, now in a white T-shirt, and baggy navy shorts, waited at the bottom of the stairs, flipping an object in one hand, and holding a flannel shirt in the other.  
  
Chloe tip-toed out, rubbing her hair with a big yellow towel. When she turned her head up, it had that messy, just dried look. A look Clark decided he liked on her very well.  
  
"What's that?" she asked, dropping the towel in the hamper before walking over to him.  
  
"This?" he asked, surprised. "This, is a flannel shirt....in shades of blue." He grinned, putting it on her, it barely fitting her at all. The sleeves need obvious cuffing and is was practically longer than her shorts.  
  
"And that is?" she asked, curious, pointing to his other hand. He opened it to show her a large ring with a blue stone in it.  
  
"My class ring... uhm.. I think you'll need some string or something for it though, apparently my fingers are bigger than yours... anyways. There you go. Official symbol now."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes at the finger thing.  
  
"Of course your hands are bigger than mine! You're a guy... official what?"  
  
"Sign. That means you're MY girlfriend now, and they better not mess with ya," he told her grinning.  
  
"Oh yeah, because I have to keep the massive hordes at bay all of the time," she snarked, placing it on one of her necklaces, once again grasping his hand as they walked back into the kitchen.  
  
"You might with that hickey you now have," he said looking straight ahead as he entered the kitchen as her eyes bugged out and she pulled up the collar of the shirt. Glaring at him slightly, she followed his footsteps.  
  
While it was fairly evident that their earlier entrance hadn't been forgotten and that this one had been noticed, most of the party had decided to give the pair some slack. The Rosses and Clark's parents mingled happily, Nell eventually joining their conversation in spurts of both enthusiasm and negativity. Lana and Pete were "busy" taking care of refreshments for everyone for the moment. Lex sipped his coffee, noting how Clark quickly helped Chloe to the couch and scooted way closer to her than was necessary. Smirking, watched as Clark's large hand engulfed Chloe's smaller one and gave hers a slight squeeze. He nodded to his cohorts.  
  
"Clark!" she whispered, valiantly tugging at his collar. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Just sitting with my girlfriend."  
  
She grinned at him, mouthing the word girlfriend back at him. After a moment's pause she turned to him.  
  
"So, when are you coming up to Metropolis to see me?"  
  
"When do you leave?" he countered.  
  
"Monday." She bit her lip grinning slightly.  
  
"Well I was thinking oh... about Monday," he told her, touching his forehead to hers again and one of his infamous grins flashed at her. Her own smile took over her face.  
  
"Okay. I think I could fit you in then."  
  
"Good."  
  
Lex raised his eyebrow as Chloe forgot about holding the shirt up, her interest now lying in the flannel's owner once more. The soft material slid down her shoulders, showing of a large red-violet circle in her light peach skin. The billionaire turned his head as Lana's barely contained laughter came out in little snorts. Pete's eyes grew wide once more, and Lex could almost see the Ross boy forming future taunts in his head. Trying to shush them through his own grin, he turned back to the off-set pair.  
  
Chloe smiled in contentment, leaning back on Clark's arm and smiling at the room in general. She felt a pair of lips quickly press to the top of her forehead and she tried to bite back a giggle. This is what she should have that stormy night. And while she hated what happened and knew they still would have issues, she knew that for once, her love life was finally going right. For the first time in a long time, Chloe Sullivan decided that Smallville wasn't such a bad place to be in after all.  
  
-end- 


End file.
